Iron overload or hemochromatosis is a disease characterized by an accumulation of iron in the body. Symptoms manifest themselves due to genetic abnormalities (hereditary hemochromatosis, sickle cell anemia), through blood transfusions, or from disease treatments like chemotherapy which can induce anemia and require numerous blood transfusions. The overabundance of iron in the blood leads to tissue damage and organ failure if not properly treated.
Presently, the most common treatment for iron overload is deferoxamine (DFO), an iron chelator. This drug can chelate both the Fe2+ and Fe3+ forms of the iron ion. Unfortunately, the drug suffers from a poor half-life and dangerous side effects. Two more recently developed drugs for iron overload are deferasirox and deferiprone. Although both display longer half-lives and improved safety profiles compared to DFO, they still give rise to safety and patient compliance issues. In particular, each drug can only bind one of the two forms of ionized iron, and must typically be administered together. The CDC estimates that iron overloading is estimated to occur in up to 6 people per 100 in the US.